Maniolas

Nurses John Estenor and Lizelle Natividad chanting during the picket in front of the Providence Hospital. PHOTO BY JON MELEGRITO WASHINGTON, DC– When 31-year-old Filipino nurse Lizelle Natividad heard about a Dallas nurse who was infected a month ago with the Ebola virus from a patient who came from Liberia, she was very concerned for the caregiver who took care of the patient. “What if it happened here in DC,” she wonders. “Can we handle it?” The nation’s capital attracts thousands of tourists, diplomats and workers from West Africa, where more than 5,000 have already died from the Ebola virus. The Dallas nurse, who received treatment at the National Institute of Health here, eventually recovered and declared free of the disease. The man she was treating died. But Natividad was still worried. Washington, DC’s Providence Hospital, where she has worked as an RN in the Intermediate Cardiac Care unit for six years, has not provided the 400 nurses proper training on Ebola safety precautions and the use of personal protective equipment. Compounding her concerns were the frantic calls from her family in Zamboanga City. “The Ebola scare was alarming,” she says. “As health workers who are willing to care for patients, whether it’s flu or Ebola, we are vulnerable.” Walk-out On November 12, more than a month after the Dallas nurse was infected, Natividad walked out of her job and joined 18,000 RNs and nurse practitioners across the country in a one-day strike to demand tougher Ebola safety precautions in Read More …

Marc Sueselbeck. AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The deportation of Marc Sueselbeck, the German fiance of slain transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude is a “win-win” situation for him and for the military, an official said on Friday. “Tungkol kay Sueselbeck that is win-win situation, sa amin gusto naming makamit din yung aming gusto na madisiplina dahil sa kanyang ginawa,” Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office chief said. (About Sueselbeck, that is a win-win situation. As far as we’re concerned, we also want to discipline him because of what he’s done.) The military filed a complaint against the German fiance of Laude after climbing the fence more than a week ago, to get near Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton, the US Marine suspected of killing Laude. He is being held at Camp Aguinaldo although under US custody. “Napakatindi ng kanyang ginawa. Nananawagan sya, nag-apologize siya at nakiusap sya dahil mawalan sya ng trabaho dahil sa pagkahold sa kanya at naintindihan ng chief of staff ang kanyang sitwasyon at bilang pagbibigay rin ng humanitarian considerations ay hinayaan na lang syang hindi kakasuhan,” Cabunoc said. (What he did was terrible. He appealed, he apologized and he made a request because he was going to lose his job after he was stopped from leaving and the chief of staff understood his situation. Out of humanitarian consideration, no case was filed against him.) Last Sunday, Sueselbeck was prevented from leaving the country because of a deportation case against him Read More …

popular 1,700 flee attacks, killings, arson MP Hotel five stuns Wangs; Cagayan, JP repulse foes Mercado shows proof Mrs. Binay owns Batangas property Gilas selection group formed Flying out? MMDA clears route to airport SPD officer faces rape, trafficking raps Sueselbeck pleads: Send me home or I’ll lose my job in Germany Pork barrel still alive in 2015 budget videos Assistant Ombudsman explains why Revilla’s wealth must be seized Binay allies ‘gatecrash’ Senate probe Binay daughter’s Instagram post: ‘Our place in Batangas’ Audio recording of Binay interview‎ on Batangas property bared 100 buried alive in Sri Lanka tea region mudslide–minister INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–The Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 109 has stopped the government’s move to integrate the P550 airport terminal fee into airfare beginning Nov. 1. In an order issued Friday by Judge Tingaraan U. Guiling, the court stopped the Department of Transportation and Communications and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) from implementing Memorandum Circular No. 8 (MC8) series of 2014. MC8 was supposed to be implemented last Oct. 1 but was moved to Nov. 1 upon the request of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The MC8 mandates airline and travel agencies to integrate the P550 terminal fee to the price of airline tickets. The restraining order will be in place for 20 days. During the Oct. 30 hearing, lawyer Perla Dumo, MIAA Legal Division head said they only received the court order setting the Oct. 30 hearing in the afternoon of Oct. 29, thus they did Read More …

FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Government lawyers on Friday asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the petitions seeking to nullify the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca), which gives the US greater access to military bases in the country. In a 32-page consolidated comment, the Office of the Solicitor General told the high court that President Benigno Aquino III entered into the 10-year agreement to “promote national security interests.” “Under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, the President, as head of State and chief representative of government, has the prime duty to serve and protect the people,” read the pleading of the nine-member OSG panel. Acting Solicitor General Florin Hilbay said the President also approved the Edca to implement pre-existing treaties, including the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). “What the Edca does is to enhance the existing contractual security apparatus between the Philippines and the US, set up through the MDT and the VFA. It is the duty of the Honorable Court to allow this security apparatus enough breathing space to respond to perceived, anticipated, and actual exigencies,” he said. Hilbay pointed out that the agreement is significant in addressing the country’s external and internal security concerns. Inviting the Supreme Court to consider the “international platform of politics” as well as “recent events within Philippine territory,” Hilbay argued that the Edca is one of the security measures necessary “to achieve a minimum credible defense to the manifold security concerns in the West Philippine Sea.” The court, he said, “should Read More …

By Nestor Corrales |INQUIRER.net 3:10 pm | Saturday, October 4th, 2014 FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang hopes that more tourists will visit the Philippines after the country was named as “Destination of the Year” by one of Asia-Pacific’s most prestigious travel and trade resources.“Hopefully, this new accolade will bring more of our friends from all over the globe to our country to experience the sights and the beautiful places that our country has to offer,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Saturday. Malacañang congratulated the Department of Tourism for its successful tourism campaign, which gave the Philippines the recognition. “We do not doubt that the campaign continues to spread because mainly it is true that it is ‘more fun in the Philippines,” Valte said. The Philippines bagged the “Destination of the Year” award during the 25th Annual TTG Travel Awards. The country was recognized because of its “proactive steps and initiatives toward the development of the travel industry.” RELATED STORY PH is Asia-Pacific’s ‘Destination of the Year’ Follow Us Other Stories: Filipinos going to HK advised to be careful Samareno skimboarder competes in Newport Beach, California Int’l writers hit Beijing for ‘cultural genocide’ Even in Malaysia, fixers abound as DFA warns prospective OFWs Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Short URL: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/?p=112040 Factual errors? Contact Read More …